Guide · Any country · Quotes and proposals

How to follow up on a freelance quote or proposal, with emails to copy

You sent the quote, and then nothing. A short, specific follow-up is normal practice, not pestering. Here's when to send each one, what to put in it, when to close the quote out, what to do after a not now, and emails you can copy.

General information. The timing, the steps, the checklist and the wording to copy are ours (general practice). There's no official rule for how often to follow up on a quote. The research quoted below is about social check-ins and requests for help, not sales or quotes; see Where the sources differ.

The short answer

Put a valid-until date on every quote and say in the cover email when you'll check in. Our guides to writing a quote and writing a proposal cover the quote itself.
First nudge a few working days after sending: did it arrive, any questions, and one specific question.
Second nudge about a week before the valid-until date, saying what happens after it.
Close the loop on or just after that date, politely, and leave the door open.
After a not now, ask when to check back, note the date, and send one note then.

Want this in a ready-made spreadsheet? Our paid Quote & Proposal Kit by Small Rows (US$12, one-time) logs each quote you send on a Quote Log with its valid-until date (the quote date plus the days you set, unless you type a date). A sent quote past that date shows as Expired by itself, and the Next step column says Follow up once a sent quote is as many days old as your follow-up setting (seven by default), or Expired: follow up or close once it lapses. The Pipeline tab counts the quotes to follow up now, and the printed quote asks the client to accept in writing before the valid-until date. It doesn't send emails or chase anyone: you write and send each follow-up yourself, and set the status to Accepted, Declined or Withdrawn when it's settled.

1. Why a follow-up isn't pestering

It's easy to assume a follow-up will annoy the client. Two lines of research suggest people often misjudge how others react to being contacted or asked, though neither is about quotes.

Liu and colleagues (2023) asked: "do people accurately understand how much other people value being reached out to by someone in their social circle?" Across their experiments they reported: "we document a robust underestimation of how much other people appreciate being reached out to" (Liu et al., 2023). The contacts they studied included reaching out "simply to check-in on how others are doing with brief messages", and they found "it is magnified when the reach-out context is more surprising". These were social check-ins with people in someone's social circle, not sales emails or quote follow-ups.

Flynn and Lake (2008) "tested whether people underestimate the likelihood that others will comply with their direct requests for help", and found that "help seekers were less willing than potential helpers were to appreciate the social costs of refusing a direct request for help" (Flynn and Lake, 2008). Their studies were about asking for help, not about quotes or buying decisions.

Our reading, not a finding about clients: a short, polite follow-up with a clear question is likely less of an imposition than it feels when you're about to send it, and a direct question is easier to answer than silence.

2. When to follow up

Ours (general practice). Change the gaps to suit the job: a small, urgent job may need days, a large one weeks.

When	What to send	Why
When you send it	Nothing yet. Say in the cover email when you'll check in, and note that date and the valid-until date.	The client knows a check-in is coming, so it doesn't read as pressure.
A few working days after sending	The first nudge: did it arrive, any questions, and one specific question that helps them decide.	Quotes get buried in inboxes; a short question is easy to answer.
About a week before the valid-until date	The second nudge: the date the quote lapses and what happens after it.	A real date gives a reason to decide that isn't pressure from you.
On or just after the valid-until date	Close the loop: say you're closing the quote, and leave the door open.	A clear end frees your schedule, and sometimes prompts a reply.
When the client says not now	Thank them, ask when to check back, and send one note then.	A date they chose is a follow-up they asked for.

Two nudges, then close it, is a common habit, not a rule. More than that can start to feel like pressure, and it uses time you could spend on the next quote.
Use the date you said you'd check in. If the client told you when they'd decide, follow up the day after that instead.
Reply in the same thread, so the quote is one click away.

3. What to put in a follow-up

One short paragraph they can read on a phone, with the quote number and project name in the subject.
One specific question that moves things along, such as whether the start date still suits them, rather than just asking if they've had a chance to look.
The valid-until date, and what happens after it, in the second nudge. A real date is a reason to decide that doesn't depend on you pushing.
An offer to change the scope rather than the price. If the budget is the problem, a smaller job or a later phase is often a better answer than a discount; our pricing packages guide covers offering options.
No guilt or false urgency: no invented deadlines, and no just bumping this to the top of your inbox.

4. Closing the loop

Close it on or just after the valid-until date if you've heard nothing after two nudges. Say you're closing it, without blame, and how to restart.
Release the dates you were holding for the job, and mark the quote as closed in your log.
If they come back later, send a fresh quote with new dates rather than honouring the old one by default; your prices or schedule may have changed. Our quote guide's section on valid-until dates explains why the date matters.

5. After a not now, a no or a price question

Not now: thank them, ask when to check back, write that date down, and send one note then (copy below). If they don't say, pick a date yourself and say so.
No, or they chose someone else: thank them and, if you like, ask what tipped the decision. Don't argue with it. Mark the quote as declined.
It's more than they expected: ask what they had in mind, then offer less scope, a phased start or a different way of pricing it. Our fixed price vs hourly guide compares the models.
Yes: confirm in writing what was agreed and the next steps. Our quote guide covers what to do when the client says yes, and our client onboarding checklist takes it from there.

6. Keeping track of open quotes

Ours. Follow-ups slip when they live in your head. For each quote, note:

The quote number, client, project and date sent.
The valid-until date.
The next follow-up date, and which email it is (first nudge, second nudge or closing).
The status: sent, accepted, declined or withdrawn, and the date of the answer.
Any check-back date the client gave you.

Check the list once a week and send whatever is due. A spreadsheet works; our project tracking guide shows how to build one with a simple pipeline.

7. Follow-up emails to copy

Replace everything in [brackets]. These are ours. For the cover email you send with the quote itself, see our quote guide or our proposal guide.

First nudge

Subject: Re: Quote [quote number] — [project name]

Hi [name],

I wanted to check that the quote for [project name] reached you, and whether anything in it needs explaining.

One question that may help you decide: [a specific question, e.g. does the start date still suit you / would you rather split the work into two phases]?

If the scope isn't quite right, I'm happy to adjust it.

Thanks,
[your name]

Second nudge, before the valid-until date

Subject: Re: Quote [quote number] — valid until [valid-until date]

Hi [name],

A short note that the quote for [project name] is valid until [valid-until date]. Until then, the price and a start on [start date] hold.

After that date I'd need to re-check my schedule [and prices] before confirming. If you'd like to go ahead, [how to accept, e.g. a reply saying you accept quote (quote number), or the signed proposal] by then is all it takes.

If the timing or the scope doesn't work, tell me and I'll suggest something that does.

Thanks,
[your name]

Closing the loop

Subject: Closing quote [quote number] — [project name]

Hi [name],

I haven't heard back about the quote for [project name], so I'll take it that now isn't the right time and close it on my side. That's no problem at all.

If things change, reply to this email and I'll send a fresh quote with current dates [and prices].

Thanks for considering me,
[your name]

When the client says not now

Subject: Re: Quote [quote number] — [project name]

Hi [name],

Thanks for letting me know, and for the clear answer.

Would it be all right if I checked back around [the month or season they mentioned]? If something in the quote got in the way, such as the scope, the timing or the budget, I'd find it useful to know, but there's no need to reply to that.

Thanks,
[your name]

Checking back on the date they gave

Subject: [project name] — checking back, as promised

Hi [name],

When we last spoke you said [month or season] might suit [project name] better, so I'm checking back as promised.

If it's still on your list, I can send an updated quote with current dates [and prices]. If not, there's no need to reply, and I won't chase again.

Thanks,
[your name]

8. Checklist

A valid-until date on the quote, and a check-in date in the cover email.
The quote logged with its follow-up date.
First nudge sent a few working days after the quote, with one specific question.
Second nudge sent before the valid-until date, saying what happens after it.
The quote closed politely if there's still no answer, and the dates released.
After a not now, a check-back date agreed and noted.
Every answer recorded: accepted, declined or withdrawn.
Follow-ups sent in the same thread as the quote.

Free tools and kits

Free quote and estimate generator: make the quote, with a valid-until date, in your browser.
How to track multiple client projects: build your own pipeline with follow-up dates.
Our paid Quote & Proposal Kit by Small Rows (US$12, one-time) logs each quote you send on a Quote Log with its valid-until date (the quote date plus the days you set, unless you type a date). A sent quote past that date shows as Expired by itself, and the Next step column says Follow up once a sent quote is as many days old as your follow-up setting (seven by default), or Expired: follow up or close once it lapses. The Pipeline tab counts the quotes to follow up now, and the printed quote asks the client to accept in writing before the valid-until date. It doesn't send emails or chase anyone: you write and send each follow-up yourself, and set the status to Accepted, Declined or Withdrawn when it's settled.
To keep quote follow-ups next to the rest of your work, our paid Client & Project Tracker by Small Rows (US$12, one-time) has a Follow-ups tab: each row is an action with a due date, Open or Done, and a due status of Overdue, Due soon or Scheduled. Its Projects tab has a Quoted status, and the Dashboard counts overdue open follow-ups. It doesn't create quotes or send anything.
All three kits together: the All-Kits Bundle by Small Rows (US$24, one-time).

Where the sources differ

Who was studied. Liu and colleagues (2023) studied people reaching out to others in their social circle with brief messages or small gifts. Flynn and Lake (2008) studied direct requests for help. Neither looked at freelancers, quotes or sales, so the advice on this page is our reading, not a finding.
How we read the papers. We quote only the abstracts, taken from the OpenAlex records of the papers and checked against PubMed.
How many follow-ups. We didn't find research on the best number or timing of quote follow-ups. Some sales blogs publish reply-rate figures; we left them out because we couldn't check how they were measured.
What we did not check: sales and marketing research; rules on marketing email, such as anti-spam laws, which may matter if you add someone to a mailing list. This page is about one-to-one replies to a quote the client asked for.

Sources

Liu, Rim, Min, Min (2023). The surprise of reaching out: Appreciated more than we think. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(4), 754–771. doi:10.1037/pspi0000402
Flynn, Lake (2008). If you need help, just ask: Underestimating compliance with direct requests for help. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(1), 128–143. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.95.1.128

Checked 2026-10-25. Found a mistake? Tell us via Support.